Basic Concepts 1-5

Common law

Court decisions establishing legal principles

Human Rights

Entitlements because a person is alive

Statues

Laws made by legislatures

Errors of law

Mistakes about applicable law

Jurisprudense

Study of law and legal philosophy

Lobbyimg

Actions to influence legislators

initiatives and referendums

Authority of citizens to legislate and repeal statutes

Trial courts

Courts that hear testimony, consider evidence, and decide the facts in disputed situations

Appeals court

Courts that review decisions of lower courts

Felonies

Crimes for which penalty is more than one year of prison

Misdemeanors

Crimes for which penalty is one year or less

Seperations of powers

Division of lawmaking power among three branches

Parties

Persons involved in a lawsuit

judicial review

Power of courts to declare statutes void

Precedents

Prior case rulings that guide decisions in other cases

Supremacy clause

Provision that requires that the U.S. Constitution and federal laws are a higher authority than state laws.

legislative intent

The purpose for which a statute was enacted

Checks and balances

The system by which each branch has the power to restrain another branch of government